terrier: "Fred................. another name I remember was Ian Macmillan(sp?) who used to run the nights at the Vic if Tony wasn't there, also memories of a young Willie Russell making his mark so to speak."

Correct. Tony Wilson, later Molyneux, died several years ago, sadly. Ian MacMillan is still around, although he's more into real ale these days. Willie Russell. What ever happened to him? Guess he just kinda faded away and never amounted to anything much :-)

"Remember M.F.R.A. and the Bristol bus?" Do I ever. I used to maintain that bus, which is probably why it never got more than two miles down the road without breaking down. Towards the end, after MacMillan, Wilson and Paddy Doody decided they'd had enough, my role in MFRA became so complicated that I used to claim FRED stood for Fixtures, Research and Engineering Department. I used to drive the damned thing as well, which was great fun when it rained because the cab used to let in water like a leaky sieve.

BTW., MFRA stood for Merseyside Folklore Research Association, research being a big buzz word in those days.